Please contact the Care Leaver Records Access Unit, Community Services:
Postal Address: Care Leaver Records Access Unit, Community Services, Department of Communities and Justice, Locked Bag 5000, Parramatta NSW 2150
Phone: 1300 137 160 or (02) 9716 2500
Email: clra@dcj.nsw.gov.au
These records are held by Department of Communities and Justice, State Government of New South Wales (2019 - current).
The New South Wales Government Departments for Child and Social Welfare created a collection of about 5000 photographs relating to out-of-home care and state wardship. This collection includes images of individual children who had been placed in government-run Homes and institutions. Some children appearing in photographs have been named, but many have not yet been identified. The collection includes photographs of child welfare institutions and their surroundings, showing buildings, farms, dormitories, kitchens, and school-rooms. It also includes photographs showing activities undertaken by children in institutions, such as classroom and trades education, farm and domestic work, creative activities such as artwork or theatrical performances, sports, and holidays. Some photographs include staff members and other adults.
Access to some of these photographs, where individuals can be identified, is restricted in order to protect personal privacy. For access to these photographs please contact the New South Wales Care Leaver Records Access Unit.
Some photographs from this collection have been published on Find & Connect, and can be viewed in the gallery below. These are photographs where individuals cannot be easily identified. Some of these images have been previously published in annual reports of the department, or are available via Museums of History (the NSW State Archives). Other photographs, including those that show identifiable individuals, have not been published here out of respect for the privacy of individuals. These photographs can be accessed by contacting the Care Leaver Records Access Unit.
Copyright of these photographs is held by State of New South Wales (Department of Communities and Justice). Photographs over 50 years are out of copyright. Reuse of those images with attribution to © State of New South Wales (Department of Communities and Justice) is permitted for personal or non-commercial purposes.
Copyright for photographs under 50 years old is held by the State of New South Wales (Department of Communities and Justice). These images may be used for personal or non-commercial purposes with attribution under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0). They must not be used in a way that implies government endorsement, and any alterations must be clearly noted. For public displays or exhibition use, please contact the NSW Department of Communities and Justice Care Leaver Records Access Unit.
